She was specially matched to PC Bedford and he said the pair are forging a strong bond, which is just as well because each dog lives with their handler.

PC Bedford, who works with another dog called Enzo, said he has high hopes for Annie who he’s had for a week and is busy helping her settle into her new surroundings.

He said: “Training hasn’t really started yet, there’s a lot of socialisation to be done with her because she’s never had any of this before, “She’s not met a lot of people and she’s never seen traffic, never been in buildings so it all starts now.

“But her actual drugs training won’t start until the back end of the year.”

He added: “Having the dogs is very important.

“It’s the nose aspect for Annie in particular, we’re going to be training her to smell different substances which obviously we can’t smell and never would be able to smell without the dogs.”

"She's bonding really well with Nic"

The dog section currently has 20 pooches – 17 of which are out on the streets fighting crime – with another three still training.

Sergeant Howard Watts from the force’s dog section said early socialisation and introducing dogs to a wide range of people, animals and experiences was vital to ensure well-adjusted dogs suitable for police work.

He said: “But so far, so good.

“Annie has really thrown herself into everything we’ve asked her to and she’s bonding really well with Nic.

“We do rigorous testing to get the right type of dog and to match them to the right owner as they are a team and have to work together.”